Syfy Films, the company created by Syfy Ventures and Universal Pictures, has acquired rights to Game Of Thrones author George R.R. Martin’s superhero anthology Wild Cards with an eye on launching a franchise. The successful sci-fi book series was first published in 1987 and is based on stories by several writers; one of those scribes, Melinda Snodgrass, has been tapped write the feature screenplay. Martin and Snodgrass will executive produce. The deal marks the first for Syfy Films, which launched in December with plans to make two movies a year by 2012 and hired former DC Comics exec Gregory Noveck in May as SVP Production. “Wild Cards presents a terrific franchise opportunity given the volume of material from this compelling fantasy series,” Noveck said in the release announcing the deal. In Wild Cards, the superheroes live in a shared universe in which different authors contribute new characters and storylines. Martin and Snodgrass were among the authors that included Roger Zelazny, Walter Jon Williams and more recently Cherie Priest and Paul Cornell. The books have also been adapted into comic books and role-playing games.

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